2. Salahaddin University-Hawler College of Languages English Language Dept. The Communicative Approach in Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language in Large Classes A presentation by Ferhad M. Asad, MA Student in Applied Linguistics December 2011

3. What is meant by the communicative approach? The communicative approach is the theory that language is communication. And it is the “more recent revisions of L2 learning experience” (Yule, 2006; 166). The teacher's job is to get their students to communicate using real language by providing them with instruction, practice, and above all opportunities to produce English in activities which encourage acquisition and fluency.

4. The communicative approach could be said to be the product of educators and linguists who had grown dissatisfied with the audio-lingual and grammar-translation methods of foreign language instruction. The origins of Communicative Language Teaching are to be found in the changes in the British language teaching tradition dating from the late 1960s. (Richards and Rodgers; 1986, 64) It starts from a theory of language as communication. The goal of language teaching is to develop what Hymes (1972) referred to as “communicative competence”. Hymes coined this term in order to contrast a communicative view of language and Chomsky’s theory of competence. (Richards and Rodgers; 1986, 69) Interest in and development of communicative-style teaching mushroomed in the 1970s; authentic language use and classroom exchanges where students engaged in real communication with one another became quite popular. It is an outgrowth of the work of anthropological linguists, like ( Hymes 1972) and Firthian Linguists, like (Halliday 1973). (Celce: 2001, 8)

5. Communicative approach The communicative approach is based on the idea that learning language successfully comes through having to communicate real meaning. When learners are involved in real communication, their natural strategies for language acquisition will be used, and this will allow them to learn to use the language. Example Practicing question forms by asking learners to find out personal information about their colleagues is an example of the communicative approach, as it involves meaningful communication. Practicing question forms by asking learners to find out personal information about their colleagues is an example of the communicative approach, as it involves meaningful communication. In the classroom Classroom activities guided by the communicative approach are characterized by trying to produce meaningful and real communication, at all levels. As a result there may be more emphasis on skills than systems, lessons are more learner-centered, and there may be use of authentic materials.

6. Shortcomings of the Communicative Approach 1- With large classes and time constraints teachers will not be able to attend to every individual. Thus slow learners will feel lost, especially when involved in interactive activities where performance is assessed as a collective effort. 2- Working in pairs and small groups may create noise and chaos, affecting neighboring classes. In this context teachers might fear lack of control.

7. 3- Heavy demands are placed on teachers in terms of lesson preparation, selecting and creating materials. The evaluation of students' ability would be difficult given time limits. 4- Training teachers through introductory and in-service sessions is an absolute necessity in order for them to adapt to new responsibilities in communicative classes. 5- There is a view that since linguistic errors are inevitable when communicating, this might encourage learners to commit more errors.

8. Problems of Teaching in Large Classes and the Solutions

9. 8 “Large class size is a challenge faced by many teachers and learners around the world and is a particular issue in many developing countries where teacher recruitment has not kept pace with rapid increases in school enrolments.” (from internet) (TELC) What is a large class?

10. 9  What is considered small in one context, e.g., Pakistan (or even the UK) may be seen as a large class in another context such as North America  Even within the same context, perceptions and experience of class size varies according to different factors such as pupil’s age and grade level  However, generally, 40 and above is considered large!

11. 10 Defining large classes - Teachers’ perspective A large class is one in which:  Teachers face problems in teaching, managing, evaluating.  [There are] many challenges and opportunities for the teachers as well as for the learners in terms of managing resources, time and space.  A large class is one in which ‘ the possibility of individual relationship between professor [teacher] and student is precluded, in which not every student who wants to speak in class can be called on, and in which grading essay exams can take up every evening and weekend of the course.

12. 11 A 'large' class generally includes 100 students or more, but there is no single definition or identification. In some cases, 'large' may signify a class of 50-70 students, in others, it may include up to 1500 students in a single cohort. Teaching large classes requires a combination of skills and strategies including:  Organizing and presenting effective lectures.  Engaging students and developing a sense of belonging. Engaging students and developing a sense of belonging Engaging students and developing a sense of belonging  Integrating active learning elements in traditional lecture formats.  Blending face-to-face and technology-enhanced learning activities. Blending face-to-face and technology-enhanced learning activities Blending face-to-face and technology-enhanced learning activities  ‘Crowd control' in large groups.  Managing and supporting staff teams, including tutors.

13. 12 Large classes are most common in the first year. This carries the added responsibility of supporting first year students through the transition to university, while also introducing them to learning in the university context. Peer support and social networking is particularly important for students in large first year classes. first year studentsfirst year students Why do we have large classes?  Success of universal primary education initiatives(e.g. in Uganda)  Population growth in developing countries

14. Problems with large classes  Discipline  Giving individual attention  Reliable evaluation  Teacher discomfort  Provision of materials  Physical constraints  Limited interaction zone  Low teacher-student interaction  Remembering names  Students using L1  Retaining rapport  Poor teacher feedback  High marking load  Lack of feedback from students

15. Ranking serious problems  Discipline  Evaluation  Teacher feedback  Rapport  Teacher-student interaction key problems  Lack of teacher-student interaction  Poor feedback on students’ work (oral and written)  Difficulties in evaluating students

16. Types of solution  Imposed solutions  Standard solutions  Innovative solutions Imposedsolutions Imposed solutions  Interaction: choral drills, lectures  Feedback: minimal surface feedback on writing, oral feedback restricted to a few students  Evaluation: emphasis on exams

17. Standard solutions  Interaction: groupwork/pairwork, role- plays and simulations, projects  Feedback: feedback on selected mistakes, feedback on first page of written work only, feedback in plenary  Evaluation: projects

18. Innovative solutions  Interaction: lecture/tutorial format, group consultations  Feedback: peer consultations, e-mail consultations  Evaluation: portfolios, peer and self- assessment

19. Principles underlying successful solutions  Student involvement  Transfer of responsibility to students

20. Reference List: 1. Celce, (2001): Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. 3 rd Ed. USA. 2. Yule, George, (2006): The Study of Language. 3 rd Ed. Cambridge University Press. 3. Richards and Rodgers, (1986): Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching; A description and analysis. Cambridge University Press. 4. Richards, Platt and Platt, (1992): Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Liguistics. 2 nd Ed. Longman Group UK Ltd. 5. Shamim, 43rd IATEFL Conference, Cardiff, UK, 31 March-4 April 2009. TEACHING AND RESEARCHING ENGLISH IN LARGE CLASSES. Slides 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 6. http://www.google.iq/search?q=Dealing+with+large+classes+filety pe%3Appt&hl=ar&num=10&lr=lang_en&ft=i&cr=&safe=images http://www.google.iq/search?q=Dealing+with+large+classes+filety pe%3Appt&hl=ar&num=10&lr=lang_en&ft=i&cr=&safe=images http://www.google.iq/search?q=Dealing+with+large+classes+filety pe%3Appt&hl=ar&num=10&lr=lang_en&ft=i&cr=&safe=images 7. http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/research/projects/telc http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/research/projects/telc 8. http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/knowledge- database/communicative-approach http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/knowledge- database/communicative-approach http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/knowledge- database/communicative-approach 9. http://www.google.ca/search?q=The+Communicative+Approach+ filetype%3Appt&hl=en&num=10&lr=lang_en&ft=i&cr=&safe=images http://www.google.ca/search?q=The+Communicative+Approach+ filetype%3Appt&hl=en&num=10&lr=lang_en&ft=i&cr=&safe=images http://www.google.ca/search?q=The+Communicative+Approach+ filetype%3Appt&hl=en&num=10&lr=lang_en&ft=i&cr=&safe=images